I wouldn't mind Central Park and has a lot of places to do a shoot...but I was there for Japan Day and some of people who cosplayed as ninjas and the Akatsuki, from what I heard, were being questioned by police. One of them did actually get chased down, though I can't confirm it. Plus some of them had legit weaponry like the nunchucks and the like. No swords, of course, but still.

Don't ever be afraid of being told not to shoot in NYC. The most important thing to keep in mind is to always be professional. If cops come by, don't act freaked out. Act calm and rational. If they want to talk to you, fine, make sure you have someone acting as a rep. Explain you are not doing this as a profitable venture. You are costumed hobby'ists. 99% of the time you will be fine.

How do I know this? I run The Group That Shall Not Be Named. The NYC Harry Potter Meetup. We've had several LARGE cosplay days with around 40 or so cosplayers. We've shot in several locations in central park, including a very populated Bethesda Terrace and fountain. We were told to stop a climbing a tree and that was all.

The only location in the NYC area that ever gave us trouble was Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. They are INCREDIBLY photo restrictive, mostly because they want to profit it from it. Meanwhile our photo days in Fort Tryon had more cops wanted to pose with us then tell us to leave

Sleepy Hallow Cemetery in Westchester even loved us. One of the manager stopped by to say hello.

So, long story short, be calm, be collected, be professional, and most people will leave you alone. Unless of course you are trespassing. That's a whole other story

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akune-chan

Thats my main issue with CP.

Police.

I know there will be one person who will call the police if they see a group of people wearing similar headbands/clothing thinking that its some sort of cult.

For me, it depends on the costume, and what the facilities are like where I'm going. I've definitely ridden on the train in costume when going to the Jacob Javits Center for New York Comic Con, in costumes such as Rogue, or Utena--costumes that are a little eye-catching, but are mostly fabric, and don't have any breakable pieces, and are comfortable to sit and move around in. But when I went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a photoshoot in my white rose dress for Rei, I carried the costume in a bag, and changed in one of the bathrooms there. It all depends on how comfortable you'd be, both physically and emotionally.